The Kick That Sent Nebraska to Overtime

On November 8, 1997, Nebraska arrived at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri, ranked No. 1, while Missouri athletics described the home team as “not yet having cracked the rankings.” Nebraska had beaten Missouri 18 straight times. The official Nebraska box score lists the attendance at 66,846, and the Missouri recap framed the game as a national-television event before a sell-out crowd.

Nebraska’s final regulation drive began on its own 33-yard line with 62 seconds left, according to HuskerMax. With seven seconds remaining, Scott Frost threw over the middle on third-and-10 from Missouri’s 12-yard line. The Missouri recap says the pass ricocheted off intended receiver Shevin Wiggins and headed toward the ground. Then Wiggins’ left leg went skyward, and he kicked the ball backward over his head.

Matt Davison recovered for Nebraska. HuskerMax describes him diving for the ball with his hands scraping the turf; the referee’s arms went up for a touchdown, and Tiger fans stormed the field. Kris Brown’s extra point tied the game, 38-38. The accounts describe the ball’s movement, Davison’s recovery and the touchdown signal, but do not independently settle the legality of Wiggins’ kick.

Missouri coach Larry Smith reduced the sequence to four words: “One stinking play.” That play did not finish the game, but it changed what remained of it. The tie sent Nebraska and Missouri into overtime, leaving the unusual recovery as the bridge between the last seconds of regulation and the deciding possession.

Nebraska won 45-38 at Faurot Field. Frost scored the winning touchdown on a 12-yard run.